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The
history of MOUGIN earthenware started in 1867 in a small inadequate oven in
PARIS impasse du Corbeau Joseph MOUGIN and Charles LEMARQUIER, both sculptors
then, achieved their first earthenware with the great fire, without any
particular knowledge, only driven by Joseph’s passion and fantastic enthusiasm.
Their first attempts were lousy, they moved to Rue Dareau in MONTROUGE in 1898,
in a better-fitted workshop where they built with Pierre MOUGIN’s help a
Chinese oven. That enabled them to exhibit their first works at the Universal
Exhibition in PARIS in 1900. Conscious of his lack of knowledge, Joseph went to
the Sèvres manufacture in 1901, as an independent student. That same year,
LEMARQUIER gave up; a new place was chosen Rue de la Quintinie in VAUGIRARD. The
two brothers associated. They then profited by Victor PROUVE’s friendship and
help, whom they met in 1892, and overcoming innumerable problems, they
eventually achieved the searched for results. Ernest WITTMANN, Louis MAJORELLE,
Pierre ROCHE, Victor PROUVE, RIVAUD, CASTEX, FINOT and many others entrusted
them with the edition of several of their works and in 1905 they were at last
granted a "first mention" at the Salon of French artists. In 1906 they
went to NANCY, Rue de Montreville, which Joseph, at the end of his life,
considered as a mistake. From that time, several exhibitions successively took
place with prizes or honorary titles. In 1919 they started researching about
engraved and geometric designs and in 1923 Joseph signed a
collaboration-contract with the crockery-shop KELLER and GUERIN in LUNEVILLE.
This contract ended in 1933. In 1925 he won the first prize in ceramics at the
Exhibition of decorative arts. In 1934 Pierre put an end to his activities and
Joseph, back in NANCY, carried on his research exclusively about enamel, with
the participation of his daughter Odile. Somewhat between ceramics and painting,
his art was then close to abstract expressionism. He achieved his very last
firing in December 1950, the taking over being ensured by Odile and François
MOUGIN.
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